Fatherhood
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Robin has always tiptoed the line when it came to his place in Henry's life. That all disappears when the young man comes to him for some advice after his honeymoon.


Robin knew he walked a thin line when it came to his relationship with Henry. While Regina had become a mom to Roland and Bryony, Robin had come at a time in Henry's life where he couldn't necessarily be "Dad". Neal had just passed away when they met and he was already 12 years old. For awhile after he married Regina, he still struggled with his role. Henry didn't need much parenting, he was a well-behaved kid and if there was an issue, Regina and Emma took care of it. He was never disrespectful to Robin and was good with his siblings, so there wasn't much that he could say or do in terms of that.

Eventually, Robin came to realize that he was Henry's reprieve. He was the person he could go to, to talk about stuff before he went to his moms. Robin would never keep a secret from his wife or Emma when it concerned Henry, and the teenager knew that. Even so, he was a sounding board. Robin had been there for Henry when he felt his relationship with Violet was going south. He was the first person Henry talked to when he realized he wanted to travel the different realms instead of going to college. Even though Regina could see it from a mile away before Henry said anything, it was Robin that got the confirmation that he liked her. Neither would change the way things were and Robin knew that Regina appreciated it. She trusted her husband and knew that Henry would always have a safe place to go to.

Which was why it shouldn't have been a big surprise that Henry went to Robin first about one of the biggest moments of his life.

It had been easy for Robin to adjust to life in the Enchanted Forest and after nearly two years there, he felt like he was back in his element. Since they had to live in tents while they fought the rebellion, he felt so at home. It was good for Roland and Bryony too, to get a sense of the life they would've had, if they had returned to the Sherwood Forest when things calmed down. Robin didn't regret their choice to stay in Storybrooke, it was just a really nice change.

As he got the wood ready for the nightly fire, he spotted Henry coming through the clearing. "Hey," Robin said, setting his axe down. "You and Ella back from your honeymoon already?"

"We only wanted to take a couple of days. You guys need us."

"Even so, you should get to celebrate. You're married now."

"We'll celebrate when Tremaine and Drizella are behind us," Henry said.

Robin nodded. Henry was so much like his mother, stubborn and always ready to defend what she cared about. "Where's Ella anyway?"

"She's off talking to Tiana, to see what we missed."

"Not much, I can tell you. We went over new strategies and Rumple actually dropped off some supplies for us, but that was about it."

"Oh." Henry gnawed on his bottom lip, an old habit from when he was younger. "Can we uh…can we talk?"

Robin tilted his head, before nodding. They lowered themselves onto a log, Robin taking in Henry's pale face.

"What's on your mind?"

"Ella's pregnant," Henry blurted out.

Robin arched an eyebrow. "That was fast."

Henry gave him a Look. "You really think we waited?"

"I don't. Your mom is probably in denial about it," Robin joked, before seeing that Henry was clearly freaked out. "Are you not happy about it? Did you two not want kids?"

"We wanted kids, of course we did. And I'm happy, of course I am. I was so thrilled with Ella told me but after she fell asleep, I started thinking and now I'm freaked out. It's just…it wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Like…"

"We're fighting Drizella and Lady Tremaine, we don't even have a house! I mean, we're living in tents right now. I planned on building a cottage for us once the war was over, but…this is all just happening so fast."

Robin put his hand on Henry's shoulder, in an attempt to calm him down. In that moment, he didn't see the strong, confident man that Henry had become. He saw the frightened boy that was so scared of his mother dying in Isaac's universe.

"Babies don't know anything about houses," Robin said. "I raised Roland in a tent the first few years of his life and I'd say he turned out fine."

"You were older," Henry pointed out. "With a group of Merry Men to help."

"They didn't know much about babies, but lucky for you, your group does."

Henry looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Your mom raised you, along with Bryony and Roland. She knows what she's doing, and I'm not so bad myself. Plus, you'll have Tiana and Killian, I think he knows a few things about babies."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "But what if something happens? We're fighting a war here, Robin. If anything happened to this baby…"

"Hey," Robin looked him in the eye. "Nothing is going to happen to this baby. You think any of us would let it?"

"It's nothing we can prevent. What if Drizella tries to take it? Or Tremaine puts some kind of curse…"

"Then we'll find a cure. This family is tough. Your grandmother somehow managed to fight an Evil Queen while pregnant with Emma. Heck, somehow Bryony was okay after Emma sped up Zelena's pregnancy with magic onion rings, same when it came to Gideon after Belle's was too."

Henry swallowed, slowly nodding as some of the color returned to his face, but not by much.

"What if I mess it up?" He whispered.

"You're not going to mess it up."

"I didn't have a dad growing up and then when I got him, he was gone so quickly. I had two amazing moms, and I know Ella will be the same. I just…I don't know what I'm doing."

"No one does when they're first time parents. I didn't have a dad growing up and I lost my mom when I was just a little older than you were when Baelfire passed away. I was scared out of my mind when Marian got pregnant, even moreso after she died and I knew I'd have to do it on my own."

Henry let out a shaky breath. "How'd you get through it?"

"I just reminded myself that I had to try, and as long as I loved Roland and gave it my all, we'd be okay. And ultimately, we were. I think he turned out pretty great."

The two gazed over to the opposite side of the camp, where Roland was practicing sword fighting with Bryony just out of earshot. A small smile crept up on Henry's lips.

"He did."

"And so will this baby. You and Ella are going to be amazing parents. You're going to be able to take on whatever life throws at you. And no matter what, you know that you'll never be alone."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I do." He looked back at his step-father. "Thank you, Robin."

"Anytime."

Regina came out of the tent by the younger members of the Hood-Mills clan, straightening her dress as she did so. Henry stood up, Robin getting up after him.

"I guess it's time to tell Mom that she's going to be a grandma."

Robin chuckled. "God, I wish we had a camera."

Henry walked over to Regina. Robin couldn't hear what he said, but he watched as Regina's face turned full of emotion and tears filled her eyes. She grabbed hold of Henry's hands and asked him a question, which caused him to nod.

"I'm gonna be an abuela!"

Now that, Robin was certain everyone across the entire kingdom could hear.


End file.
